The VIMOS VLT Deep Survey: Tracing the galaxy stellar mass assembly history over the last 8Gyr

D. Vergani (1) , M. Scodeggio (1) , L. Pozzetti (1) , A. Iovino (1) , P. Franzetti (1) , B. Garilli (1) , G. Zamorani (1) , D. Maccagni (1) , F. Lamareille (2, 3) , O. Le Fevre (4) , S. Charlot (5) , T. Contini (2) , D. Bottini (1) , V. Le Brun (4) , J. P. Picat (2, 6) , R. Scaramella (1) , L. Tresse (4) , G. Vettolani (1) , A. Zanichelli (1) , C. Adami (4) , S. Arnouts (4) , S. Bardelli (1) , M. Bolzonella (1) , A. Cappi (1) , P. Ciliegi (1) , Sylvie Foucaud (4) , I. Gavignaud (2, 6, 7) , L. Guzzo (1) , O. Ilbert (4) , H. J. Mccracken (5) , B. Marano (1) , Christian Marinoni (4) , A. Mazure (4) , B. Meneux (4) , R. Merighi (1) , S. Paltani (4) , R. Pello (2, 6) , A. Pollo (4) , M. Radovich (1) , E. Zucca (1) , M. Bondi (1) , A. Bongiorno (1) , J. Brinchmann (1) , O. Cucciati (1) , S. de La Torre (1) , L. Gregorini (1) , Y. Mellier (5, 8) , P. Merluzzi (1) , S. Temporin (9) , C. J. Walcher (4)

1 AUTRES
2 LATT - Laboratoire Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes
3 OP - Observatoire de Paris - Site de Paris
4 LAM - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille
5 IAP - Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
6 UMS 831 - Services communs OMP
7 ESO - European Southern Observatory
8 LERMA - Laboratoire d'Etude du Rayonnement et de la Matière en Astrophysique
9 DAPNIA - Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée

We select a mass limited sample of 4048 objects from the VIMOS VLT Deep Survey (VVDS) in the redshift interval 0.51.3) that continues efficiently down to the local Universe. The underlying stellar ages of LT galaxies apparently do not show evolution, most likely as a result of a continuous and efficient formation of new stars. The activity and efficiency of forming stars are mechanisms depending on galaxy stellar mass, resulting in a largely inefficient stellar mass assembly in massive systems up to z=1.3. The concepts of downsizing in star formation and in mass (or archaeological downsizing) describe a single scenario which has a top-down evolutionary pattern in star formation as well as in mass assembly. The role of (dry) merging events seems to be only marginal at z<1.3, as our estimated efficiency in stellar mass assembly can account for the progressive accumulation of observed passively evolving galaxies.

Domaines: Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]; Astrophysique [astro-ph]

D. Vergani, M. Scodeggio, L. Pozzetti, A. Iovino, P. Franzetti, et al.. The VIMOS VLT Deep Survey: Tracing the galaxy stellar mass assembly history over the last 8Gyr. 2007. ⟨hal-00149226⟩